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Hillary and Barack Must Avoid Going MAD
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02/27/07 03:04 PM ET
There were a number of Democratic candidates for president who were secretly smiling last week. Why? The fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over the nasty comments from Hollywood mogul David Geffen provided an opening for the rest of the field, especially if that negativity continues over the coming months.
The dangers for Clinton and Obama become an opportunity for others to come up the side. The more the two of them battle each other throughout the year, the greater the likelihood that we will see a repeat of the 2004 Democratic caucus in Iowa.
Remember the knock-down, drag-out battle between Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt as the Iowa caucuses approached? John Kerry and John Edwards surged to the top as the other two faded. A cardinal rule in politics: In a crowded field, be careful of attacks. The political landscape is full of dark horses that have come up the outside. Both Hillary and Barack may want to avoid locking horns throughout this year, otherwise it could prove to be mutually assured destruction (what we used to call MAD when it applied to the old U.S.-Soviet confrontation).
The dangers for Clinton and Obama become an opportunity for others to come up the side. The more the two of them battle each other throughout the year, the greater the likelihood that we will see a repeat of the 2004 Democratic caucus in Iowa.
Remember the knock-down, drag-out battle between Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt as the Iowa caucuses approached? John Kerry and John Edwards surged to the top as the other two faded. A cardinal rule in politics: In a crowded field, be careful of attacks. The political landscape is full of dark horses that have come up the outside. Both Hillary and Barack may want to avoid locking horns throughout this year, otherwise it could prove to be mutually assured destruction (what we used to call MAD when it applied to the old U.S.-Soviet confrontation).
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